Adorable subatomic particles you can cuddle up with! The Particle Zoo is made up of quarks, neutrinos, gluons, and others that each have their own personality. Meet the muon, who lives fast and dies young, the up quark and the down quark, who are best friends, and Higgs boson, who everyone wants to meet. Pictured is the strange quark and the gluon. Link -via Metafilter

a couple years back, i had to study up on muon neutrinos and other subatomic particles in order to write good copy and develop good graphics on an exhibit that features the science behind "seeing" them. i'm afraid even the site of these innocuous cute little plush fellas is still enough to make my brain hurt bad. i'm curled up in the fetal position as i type this. i want my mommy.